Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a - hotel?
That's exactly what it is, although you won't see it soaring anywhere any time soon. A Swedish company has taken a flying leap at something very unusual - an inn inside a converted Boeing 747.
The
Jumbo Hostel sits right next to Stockholm's busy Arlanda Airport and almost all of its 450 seats have been removed, replaced by 25 bedrooms, nine bathrooms and a honeymoon suite where the cockpit used to be. There are 72 beds in all but only the honeymoon area has its own separate toilet.
The nose of the plane is a reception area and what used to be the upper deck is now a lounge. The former first class cabin is an always open café with room for 20 diners and if you get bored, you can use one of the emergency exits to step out on the wing and do some sightseeing.
Renovations on the jet, which was retired by Singapore Airlines, have been going on for months but it wasn't ready for the public until Thursday. "I learned about this plane that was standing abandoned at Arlanda airport and I've been trying the concept of hostels in many different houses and buildings and I thought 'why not a plane?'" explains creator and owner Oscar Dios.
"The most challenging with this project is trying to build something inside a metal hull - it's just really, really tight. It's very different from building a house."
Anyone who has ever tried to catch a few zzz's on a plane knows it's not exactly the lap of luxury. Will anyone really want to stay there?
Dios believes enough will, noting the interior rooms - while tight - no longer have the same design as a jet and that the proximity of staying right next to the airport will make it handy for late risers with an early flight to catch.
Then there's the kitsch aspect, with creators expecting some will even want to tie the knot in a very unusual space - the tip of the wing. "The thought is that couples should be able to get married out here on the wing and as a judge allowed to perform civil marriages, I can conduct the wedding ceremony out here on the wing," explains Birgitta Wollsen, who, like the captain of a ship, is licensed to perform the nuptials.
The hostel is partially booked for opening day, although it's hardly a sell out. How much does a night's stay cost? Simple shared rooms will set you back an inexpensive Cdn$52 a night, while a deluxe private suite will run you Cdn$200.
Or you can just tour the place for $10.
Could something like this ever sit near Pearson International Airport? It's tough to say if it would be allowed here, but Dios will only hint that this is the first in a series of similar places he's hoping to open at major hubs around the world.
He's already in talks with other unnamed airports and presumably could hit the ground running if it turns out this idea - unlike the plane itself - actually flies.
Take a video tour of the plane here.
Find out more about the Jumbo Hostel here.